Information processing apparatus, information processing method, program, and recording medium

ABSTRACT

A scheme is provided for managing device identification information of an image forming apparatus used by a client. A combination of first device identification information and second device identification information which are obtained from a predetermined device is compared with another combination. In accordance with the comparison result, a notification is issued to a remote monitoring computer that is capable of receiving the notification through a predetermined communications line and that manages a plurality of information processing apparatuses, thereby allowing for prompt processing at the remote monitoring computer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a scheme for managing devices,such as an information processing apparatus, a copier, a printer, and acomputer which are located at remote places.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] A remote maintenance system for managing and operating devices,such as copiers, printers, and computers, by associating them with IP(internet protocol) addresses has been conventionally known. Forexample, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which it isdetermined whether or not a MAC address and an IP address are those ofan asset being managed and an alarm notification is issued to anadministrator, user, or the like when the MAC address and the IP addressare not being managed.

[0005] Meanwhile, for ease of management of history information such asthe number of sheets printed or copied by a printer, copier, or digitalmulti-functional equipment and the use status of consumables, a schemefor managing log information by using IP addresses and by obtaining, forexample, corresponding MAC addresses, product names, and device IDsbased on the IP addresses is known. Reasons why devices are managedbased on IP addresses are that IP addresses correspond to devices beingmanaged on a one-to-one basis and can be assigned by an administer toallow for easy recognition of an association with the correspondingdevices, unlike MAC addresses. In addition, MAC addresses, though uniqueto individual apparatuses, are complicated since they are 12-digithexadecimal numbers, and, on the other hand, the use of product namescauses inconvenience in management since the same product may beredundantly managed.

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-290937(United States Patent Application No. 20010029474)

[0007] In a configuration in which various types of information such asconsumable information and an equipment status are managed byassociating such information with device identification information suchas an IP address, when the IP address is changed, the held informationcan become meaningless unless appropriate processing is performed.Specifically, for example, when a different device (a device B) isassigned to the same IP address, management of history information basedon the IP address results in accumulation of the history of the originaldevice (a device A) based on the history of the device B, therebycausing a critical mistake in history management.

[0008] In general, possible causes for a change of correspondence of anIP address or MAC address include movement of a device to a differentsubnet and a replacement of a device with a new one.

[0009] The foregoing problems cannot be overcome by a technology, asdisclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, in which checking isonly performed to determine whether or not a MAC address and an IPaddress are those of an asset being managed. That is, such a technologydoes not clarify which one of the IP address and the MAC address isfound to be abnormal, and only issuing an alarm indicating that someabnormality is found causes a problem in that subsequent measures andvarious necessary processes cannot be promptly performed to cope withthe abnormality.

[0010] In particular, maintenance of an image forming apparatusesinvolves management of accounting information such as the number ofsheets printed, copied, or the like. Thus, the lack of ability ofeffectively detecting an abnormal IP address and/or MAC address cancause a problem in management of accounting information.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] In view of the foregoing, the present invention has been made toovercome the problems described above and an object of the presentinvention is to provide a scheme in which, when a mismatch ofcorrespondence of, for example, an IP address and/or MAC address isdetected, a warning indicating the status thereof can be promptly andappropriately issued to an administer or a maintenance service provider.

[0012] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides ascheme in a remote monitoring system for an image forming apparatus. Thescheme includes an information processing apparatus that manages apredetermined device capable of performing communication over a network.The information processing apparatus compares a combination of firstdevice identification information and second device identificationinformation which are obtained from the predetermined device withanother combination. In accordance with a result of the comparison, theinformation processing apparatus controls issuance of a notification toan external apparatus. The external apparatus can receive thenotification through a predetermined communications line and manages aplurality of information processing apparatuses.

[0013] Further objects, features and advantages of the present inventionwill become apparent from the following description of the preferredembodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014]FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an overall configuration of a firstembodiment.

[0015]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a general configuration of aninformation processing apparatus.

[0016]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the configuration of an image formingapparatus.

[0017]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the configuration of a networkinterface card.

[0018]FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the processing of an IP addresschange notification.

[0019]FIG. 6 is an exemplary table showing management data including IPaddresses and MAC addresses associated therewith.

[0020]FIG. 7 is a table showing an exemplary format of management dataheld by the information processing apparatus.

[0021]FIG. 8 is a flow chart of processing involved in holding a devicelist.

[0022]FIG. 9 is a flow chart of processing executed by a remotemonitoring computer.

[0023]FIG. 10 shows abnormality notification content that is transmittedfrom a device management computer to the remote monitoring computer.

[0024]FIG. 11 is a view showing the content of electronic mail generatedand transmitted by the remote monitoring computer in response to anabnormality notification.

[0025]FIGS. 12A and 12B each show an exemplary format of accountinginformation held by the remote monitoring computer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] First Embodiment

[0027]FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an overall configuration accordingto the present invention. Reference numeral 101 indicates a network,which is a communications line that interconnects devices and a computermanaging the devices such that they can communicate with each other. Thenetwork 101 may be implemented with a 10Base-T Ethernet® cable and/or anIEEE802.11b wireless LAN.

[0028] Reference numeral 102 indicates devices connected to the network101. Each device 102 may be implemented as an information processingapparatus, such as a personal computer (not shown), or an image formingapparatus, such as a printer, facsimile machine, or digitalmulti-functional equipment. As a printing system of the device 102serving as an image forming apparatus, a well-known system, such as anelectrophotographic system, inkjet system, or sublimation system, may beemployed.

[0029] Reference numeral 103 indicates device management computers. Eachdevice management computer 103 manages and monitors some or all of thedevices 102. Typically, the device management computer 103 is placed atthe same organization as the plurality of devices 102, and cancommunicate with and manage the devices 102, which are connected betweennetwork segments and different subnets.

[0030] Reference numeral 104 is a communication section that allows thedevice management computer 103 to communicate with the devices 102 andreference numeral 105 is a state-obtaining section that obtains thestate of the devices 102 via the communication section 104.

[0031] Reference numeral 106 is a state-monitoring section formonitoring the states of the devices 102, and reference numeral 108 is adatabase for storing information about the devices 102.

[0032] Reference numeral 107 is a line-communication processing sectionthat allows the device management computers 103 to communicate with aremote monitoring computer 120. Reference numeral 109 is acommunications line that interconnects the device management computer103 and the remote monitoring computer 120. The communications line 109may be implemented with an already-available wireless communicationsline, such as a telephone line, fiber-optic cable, or wireless channel.

[0033] The remote monitoring computer 120 remotely monitors the devices102 via the device management computer 103. Reference numeral 121 is aline-communication processing section that allows the remote monitoringcomputer 120 to communicate with the device management computer 103, andreference numeral 124 is a state-storing section for storing the statesof the devices 102. Typically, the remote monitoring computer 120 isplaced at an organization different from the organization where thedevice management computer 103 is located.

[0034] Reference numeral 122 is a notification determination section,which compares a device's state received via the line-communicationprocessing section 121 with a corresponding previous device's state thatis stored in the state-storing section 124 to thereby determine whetheror not to notify maintenance personnel.

[0035] Reference numeral 123 is a maintenance database (DB) that issearched by the notification determination section 122 for maintenancepersonnel in charge of the corresponding device 102.

[0036] Each of the sections may be configured with only a hardwaremodule or may be implemented by cooperation of a hardware module and asoftware module.

[0037]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of aninformation processing apparatus according to the present invention, andthe configuration thereof corresponds to that of each of the devices(personal computers) 102, the device management computers 103, and theremote monitoring computer 120 which are shown in FIG. 1. In practice,each module shown in FIG. 1 is operated such that a CPU (centralprocessing unit) 200, shown in FIG. 2, executes a control program storedin a storing section (e.g., indicated by reference numeral 201 or 205)to perform processing for the functions of the individual blocks shownin FIG. 2.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 2, the CPU 200 serves as controlling means ofthe information processing apparatus. The CPU 200 executes anapplication program, a printer-driver program, an operating system (OS),and a network-printer control program of the present invention, whichare stored in a hard disk (HD) 205, and also controls a RAM (randomaccess memory) 202 to temporarily store, for example, a file andinformation needed to execute those programs.

[0039] Reference numeral 201 is a ROM (read only memory), which isstoring means to store therein programs, such as a basic I/O(input/output) program, and various types of data, such as font data andtemplate data used for document processing. The RAM 202, which istemporary storing means, serves as a main memory, work area, and thelike for the CPU 200.

[0040] Reference numeral 203 indicates a floppy® disk drive (FD drive),which is recording-medium reading means. In a floppy disk (FD) 204,which is a recording medium, a computer-readable program is stored. TheFD drive 203 can load a program or the like stored in the floppy disk204 into the computer system. The recording medium, however, is notlimited to a floppy disk, and may be any medium, such as a CD-ROM, CD-R,CD-RW, PC card, DVD, IC memory card, MO, or memory stick.

[0041] Reference numeral 205 is a hard disk (HD), which is one externalstoring means to serve as large-capacity storage to store an applicationprogram, printer-driver program, OS, network-printer control program,relevant program, and the like.

[0042] Reference numeral 206 indicates a keyboard, which is instructioninputting means to allow a user to give an instruction, such as adevice-control command, to a client computer or to allow an operator oradministrator to given an instruction to a printer server.

[0043] Reference numeral 207 indicates a display, which is displayingmeans to display, for example, command input from the keyboard 206 andthe state of a printer. In practice, an application program issues adrawing command via an OS architecture and a graphics card interpretsthe command and converts it into an analog signal, thereby displayinginformation on the displaying means 207. It is to be noted that “displaycontrol” herein includes an instruction itself for issuing a drawingcommand for displaying information on the displaying means via the OS.

[0044] While a detailed description will be given below, various typesof information transmitted through the communications line are displayedon the displaying means 207.

[0045] Reference number 208 indicates a system bus engaged in the flowof data within the computer, which may be a client computer or a printerserver.

[0046] Reference numeral 209 is an interface, which is input/outputmeans. This information processing apparatus exchanges data with anexternal apparatus via the interface 209.

[0047]FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of animage forming apparatus which is one example of the device in thepresent invention.

[0048] A controller unit 111 is connected to a scanner 113, which is animage inputting device, and a printer 114, which is an image outputtingdevice, and, on the other side, is connected to a local area network(LAN) and a wide area network (WAN), to serve as a controller forinputting and outputting image information and device information.

[0049] A CPU 301 is a controller for controlling the entire system. ARAM 302 is a system working memory that is used for the operation of theCPU 301. The RAM 302 also serves as an image memory for temporarilystoring image data. A ROM 303 is a boot ROM to store a boot program forthe system. A hard disk drive (HDD) 304 stores system software and imagedata. The ROM 303 or HDD 304 stores identification information, such asan IP (internet protocol) address and a MAC address, in an availableformat for identifying a device.

[0050] An operation-section interface (I/F) 306 is engaged ininterfacing with an operation section 112 and transmits, to theoperation section 112, image data to be displayed at the operationsection 112. The operation-section interface 306 also serves totransfer, to the CPU 301, information input by a user via the operationsection 112.

[0051] A network interface (I/F) 308 is engaged in connection with alocal area network (LAN), which corresponds to the network 101 in FIG.1, and transmits and receives information to and from the LAN 101. Forexample, when receiving a query for device identification information,including an IP address and MAC address, from an external informationprocessing apparatus (e.g., the device management computer 103 shown inFIG. 1), the controller unit 111 gives a response of deviceidentification information via the network interface 308. The controllerunit 111 can cause printing data, transmitted from one of the externalapparatuses 102 via the network interface 308, to be printed out.

[0052] A MODEM 309 is engaged in connection with a wide area network andallows information to be transmitted to and received from, for example,the wide area network 109 (which may be an exclusive line) shown inFIG. 1. The components described above are arranged on a system bus 307.

[0053] An image bus interface (I/F) 305 is a bus bridge to provideconnection between the system bus 307 and an image bus 310, whichtransfers image data at a high rate, and to convert a data structure.The image bus 310 is implemented with a PCI bus or an IEEE-1394 bus.

[0054] A raster image processor (RIP) 311, a device interface (I/F) 312,a scanner-image processing section 313, a printer-image processingsection 314, an image rotating section 315, and an image compressingsection 316 are arranged under the image bus 310. The raster imageprocessor 311 expands a PDL (page description language) code transmittedover the network into a bitmap image. The device interface 312 providesconnection between the controller unit 111 and the image input/outputdevices, including the scanner 113 and the printer 114, and convertsimage data in a synchronous or asynchronous manner.

[0055] The scanner-image processing section 313 corrects, processes, andedits input image data. The printer-image processing section 314, forexample, corrects image data to be output to the printer 114 and changesthe resolution of the image data. The image rotating section 315 rotatesthe image data. The image compressing section 316 performs JPEGcompression/decompression on multivalued image data and performs JBIG,MMR, or MH compression/decompression on binary image data.

[0056] In the block diagram in FIG. 3, while the image forming apparatushaving a built-in network communication capability (indicated byreference numeral 308), i.e., an image forming apparatus having anon-board network-capability, is illustrated, another known image formingapparatus taking a different form may also be used. For example, thenetwork capability may be realized using an image forming apparatushaving a built-in Centronics-compatible local interface and installingan optional detachable network interface card (hereinafter referred toas a “NIC”).

[0057] Thus, in an image forming apparatus having no local-networkinterface, a capability corresponding to the network interface 308 shownin FIG. 3 is realized by installing a NIC. A brief description of a NICwill now be described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0058]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of major components of a NIC 4. The NIC4 is connected to a LAN (not shown) via network connectors 402, 403, and404. The network connector 402 is preferably an RJ-45 connector thatallows for 10Base-T connection. To enable 10Base-5 connection, thenetwork connector 403 is implemented with a DB-15 connector, whereas thenetwork connector 404 may be a simple coaxial connector that allows for10Base-2 connection. All of the network connectors 402, 403, and 404 areconnected to a network controller 406 (which is preferably an Ethernet®network controller). The network connector 404, however, is connected tothe network controller 406 via a transceiver 408.

[0059] A power supply is supplied to the NIC 4 from a +5 V power supplyof a printer (an image forming apparatus main-unit) via a printerexpansion port 426. The +5 V power supply is also supplied to powerconverters 410 and 412. The power converter 412 supplies a +12 V powersupply to an EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory) 422 to flashor load it, whereas the power converter 410 supplies a −9 V power supplyto the transceiver 408. The network controller 406 is also connected toan 8 KB SRAM 414.

[0060] The heart of the NIC 4 is a microprocessor 416, which isconnected to a serial port 418. Also connected to the microprocessor 416are a DRAM 420, a flash-EPROM 422, a SCSI controller 424, the printerexpansion port 426, a failure-diagnostic LED 440, a nonvolatile RAM 428,a control register 430, and an EEPROM (electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory) 432. The SCSI controller 424 is used forconnection with a printer. The EEPROM 432, which is erasable volatilestoring means, stores a media access control (MAC) address that has aunique name assigned to each Ethernet® board. When receiving a query fordevice identification information from an external apparatus (e.g., thedevice management computer 103 in FIG. 1), the NIC 4 transmitscorresponding information (e.g., a MAC address, hardware ID, and IPaddress) stored in the EEPROM 432 to the external apparatus through thecommunications line.

[0061] Next, processing for managing device identification informationwill be described in detail with reference to the flow chart shown inFIG. 5. Each step of the processing in the flow chart of FIG. 5 isaccomplished such that a CPU (which corresponds to the CPU 200 in FIG.2) of the device management computer 103 or the device 102 reads andexecutes a program stored in a storing section (which corresponds to theROM 201 or the HD 205 in FIG. 2).

[0062] First, in step S501, a determination is made as to whether or nota search start time, which is preset in the apparatus, has been reached.When it is determined that the search start time has not been reached,the process ends. When it is otherwise determined that the search starttime has been reached, the process proceeds to step S502.

[0063] In this case, when one search time is set at a predeterminedtime, the processing shown in FIG. 5 may be executed once a day. Theprocessing shown in FIG. 5 may also be executed in response to aninstruction, transmitted from the remote monitoring computer 120 throughthe communications line, for executing the flow shown in FIG. 5. In sucha case, the process in step S501 can be replaced with a process fordetermining whether or not the remote monitoring computer 120 issues aninstruction for process execution.

[0064] In step S502, devices in each network segment to which devices102 being managed are connected are searched for by SNMP broadcast, forwhich an MIB (management information base) that allows foridentification of a device is used, such as “SysObjectID”. Then,information including at least an IP address (first deviceidentification information) and a MAC address (second deviceidentification information), as shown in FIG. 6, is obtained inaccordance with information issued from each device 102 through thecommunications network.

[0065] When a source device 102 of an IP address and MAC address has aconfiguration with a communication capability as shown in FIG. 3, thedevice 102 issues the IP address and MAC address of the device 102, andalso when a source device 102 is provided with a NIC 4 as shown in FIG.4, the device 102 issues the IP address and the MAC address of the NIC4.

[0066] In steps S503 and S504, processing is performed for comparing acombination of first device identification information and second deviceidentification information which are obtained from the device 102 with acombination held by the device management computer 103.

[0067] More specifically, in step S503, a determination (identification)is made as to whether the IP address of the found device 102 is beingmanaged, by referring to a relational table, which is described belowand shown in FIG. 7.

[0068] When it is determined in step S503 that the IP address of thefound device 102 is being managed, a determination is made in step S504as to whether the MAC address obtained by searching in step S502 matchesa MAC address that is combined with the matched IP address in therelational table in FIG. 7.

[0069] When it is determined that they match each other, a determinationis made in step S507 as to whether checking of all found devices hasbeen completed. When it is determined “Yes”, the flow shown in FIG. 5ends. When it is otherwise determined in step S507 that all founddevices have not been checked, the processes subsequent to step S503 arerepeated.

[0070] On the other hand, when it is determined in step S504 that theMAC address does not match, in step S506, communication control isperformed for controlling issuance of a notification to an externalapparatus that can communicate through a predetermined communicationsline, in accordance with the results of the comparison processes insteps S503, S504, and S504. Specifically, a process for issuing anotification, to the remote monitoring computer 120, indicating that theeither the IP address or the MAC address does not match information heldby the device management computer 103.

[0071] On the other hand, when it is determined in step S503 that the IPaddress is not being managed and it is determined in step S505 that theMAC address is being managed, in step S506, a notification indicatingthat either the IP address or the MAC address does not match informationheld by the device management computer 103 is issued to the remotemonitoring computer 120 through the communication line 109.

[0072] In this manner, in the processing of steps S503, S504, and S505,checking can be efficiently performed as to whether at least one of theIP address (first device identification information) and the MAC address(second device identification information) is being managed.

[0073] In step S505, when it is determined “NO”, the device isdetermined as a device not being managed and the process proceeds tostep S507.

[0074] In addition to information indicating that either an IP address(first device identification information) or a MAC address (seconddevice identification information) does not match, the notificationissued in step S506 includes, for example, information indicating whichof the IP address and the MAC address does not match, the ID of thedevice management computer 103, and date information including time ofexecution of step S502. It is to be noted that the address of the remotemonitoring computer 120 is pre-stored, as information of a notificationdestination, in the device management computer 103.

[0075] While the above description has been given in conjunction with anIP address and MAC address as information for identifying a device, thepresent invention does not restrict the device identificationinformation to the illustrated example. For example, the identificationinformation may be such that the first device identification informationis an IP address and the second device identification information is adevice ID or product name. When the MAC address is replaced with adevice ID or product name, processes therefor are analogous to theprocesses shown in the flow chart of FIG. 5 and theinformation-acquisition process shown in FIG. 6 for the MAC address.Thus, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0076] A specific example of reference information to which reference ismade during the flow of FIG. 5 will now be described with reference toFIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows an exemplary format of management information thatis stored in a database (storing section) of the device managementcomputer 103 and/or a database of a database remote monitoring computer120. Each of the information processing apparatuses (e.g., 102, 103, and120) can display on its display the content as that shown in FIG. 7.

[0077] First, with reference to FIG. 8, a description is given toprocesses until management information as shown in FIG. 7 is held in thedevice management computer 103 and the remote monitoring computer 120.FIG. 8 shows exemplary processing of the device management computer 103or the device 102, and the processing is accomplished such that a CPUprovided in an apparatus that is to perform processing executes aprogram stored in the corresponding storing section.

[0078] First, in S801, devices 102 that can communicate over the networkare searched for. In this searching, SNMP broadcast (a MIB, for example,“SysObjectID”, that allows for identification of a device of interest isused) is employed, and upon transmission of a response from each device102, device identification is performed.

[0079] In step S802, information, or data, required for registrationwith the remote monitoring computer 120 is collected from each device102 that has transmitted a response. At this point, since the IP addressof a device of interest has been acknowledged, the data collection canbe made using SNMP or another protocol. Other than an IP address,examples of types of information to be collected include a product nameand a MAC address.

[0080] In step S803, information obtained in step S802 is transmitted tothe remote monitoring computer 120. At the remote monitoring computer120 that has received the transmitted information, for example,information about a device not to be managed is deleted and varioustypes of information about a device to be managed are modified and/oradded. Modified information is transmitted back to the sourcedevice-management computer 103.

[0081] In step S804, the information that is transmitted from the remotemonitoring computer 120 is received (downloaded), and in step S805, thereceived information is converted into a device list (which correspondsto FIG. 7) and is the held in an available format, thereby ending theprocess.

[0082] The flow in FIG. 8 is accomplished in this manner, and thuscorrect information for the device list to be managed by a client (i.e.,a device management computer that is identified with a device managementcomputer ID) is properly held in the device management computer 103 andthe remote monitoring computer 120. It should be noted that, inpractice, the device list that is held in the remote monitoring computer120 includes information for a plurality of clients (device managementcomputers that are identified with device management computer IDs).

[0083] A more detailed description is now given to the processing of theremote monitoring computer 120 in response to the above-describedprocess of step S506 in FIG. 5.

[0084] When the notification is transmitted to the remote monitoringcomputer 120 in step S506, the corresponding device management computer103 is identified with a device management computer ID 701 (a devicemanagement PC ID in FIG. 7) that is included in the notification. Then,a list of IP addresses and MAC addresses for a plurality of devices thatare being managed by the identified device management computer 103 isextracted.

[0085] The remote monitoring computer 120 then determines whether one ofthe IP address and MAC address of each device which are included in thenotification is included in the information of the extracted list (seeFIG. 7).

[0086] For example, if an IP address and a MAC address which areincluded in the notification are “192.168.10.13” and “008500123456”,respectively, as indicated by reference numerals 601 and 602 in FIG. 6,then it is determined that the IP address of a device having the MACaddress being managed has been changed in comparison with thoseindicated by reference numerals 702 and 703 in FIG. 7.

[0087] Also, since the MAC address of a device whose IP address wouldhave been changed is identified, a device (a product name) of interestand the like can also be identified in accordance with the list, shownin FIG. 7, by the remote monitoring computer 120. As a result, it ispossible to more specifically notify service personnel of what device(product name) is causing a failure at a client side.

[0088] Also, if an IP address and a MAC address which are included inthe notification is “192.168.0.1” and “008500123480”, respectively, asindicated by reference numerals 603 and 604 in FIG. 6, then it isdetermined that the IP address being managed corresponds to a devicehaving a MAC address not being managed, in comparison with thoseindicated by reference numerals 704 and 705 in FIG. 7. This can happenin a case in which an IP address that has been used is assigned to a newdevice. Further, since a product name can also be identified with an IPaddress in accordance with the list shown in FIG. 7, an identificationcan be made as to whether a product associated with an IP address is aNIC-compatible device (a device shown in FIG. 4) or a device having anon-board network-capability (as shown in FIG. 3). For example, servicepersonnel or the like can be notified of the identified information, asreference information, via a communication device.

[0089] Also, when change of the IP address (device identificationinformation) of a client is inevitable, a process is executed forautomatically or manually changing the IP address, held in historyinformation by the remote monitoring computer 120, of a correspondingdevice to be managed. This arrangement can realize tracking means foraccurately tracking a history of a device to be managed, in such ascheme that accumulates histories of a device based on the IP address(device identification information) thereof.

[0090] In this manner, holding of management information, as shown inFIG. 7, in at least the remote monitoring computer 120 allows the remotemonitoring computer 120 to perform processing more efficiently inresponse to the abnormality notification process (in step S506 of FIG.5) in the device management computer 103. Such processing of the remotemonitoring computer 120 allows the service personnel to be moreefficiently notified and more specifically instructed.

[0091] Next, a flow of processing executed by the remote monitoringcomputer 120 in response to a change of device identificationinformation will be described with reference to FIG. 9. The processingin the flow chart of FIG. 9 is one example, and thus, needless to say,one or some of the individual steps may be processed by anotherapparatus to achieve the flow in FIG. 9.

[0092] First, in step S901, a determination is made as to whether anabnormality notification regarding device identification information isreceived.

[0093] An abnormality notification may be input to the remote monitoringcomputer 120 from the device management computer 103 through thecommunications line 109 shown in FIG. 1 or may be input by an operatorat the remote monitoring computer 120 via an input device such as akeyboard.

[0094] When it is determined in step S901 that there is an abnormalityregarding device identification information, the process proceeds tostep S902, or otherwise, another processing is executed.

[0095] In step S902, in accordance with the input information, thesource of the abnormality notification and abnormal content are read bythe remote monitoring computer 120 and display is performed based on theread information.

[0096] In step S903, electronic mail is generated based on theinformation read in step S902 and the generated electronic mail istransmitted.

[0097] Then, a solution flag is set in step S904. This solution flag iscleared when a problem regarding device identification information iseliminated. In other words, a period in which the flag is set indicatesthat a problem is yet unsolved. Thus, for example, a module forperiodically monitoring the solution flag may be provided to warn theoperator or the like of the presence of an unsolved problem when thesolution flag is set, thereby making it possible to facilitate solutionof an unattended problem. This solution flag is adapted to represent aunique problem that occurs and can be used to identify, for example, theID of a device management computer having a problem, a correspondingdevice ID, and a problematic matter.

[0098] In step S905, a determination is made as to whether accountinginformation is received. The accounting information can be received fromany device management computer 103 or can be received from one of thedevices via a predetermined apparatus without going through the devicemanagement computer 103. When it is determined “Yes” in step S905, theprocess proceeds to step S907. When it is determined “No”, the processproceeds to step S906.

[0099] In step S907, a process is executed for saving and holding theaccounting information, received in step S905, in a database withoutproperly associating the accounting information with a given devicemanagement computer, device, or client. Accounting information to besaved may be given identification information that representingsave-accounting information, so that the remote monitoring computer 120can easily identify accounting information to be saved.

[0100] For example, when accounting information for a device associatedwith an abnormal IP address is received and the accounting informationis held using the association with the abnormal IP address, a problemarises in that accounting information for a device associated with thewrong IP address is updated and wrong accounting information isgenerated. The processing according to step S907, however, allows forensured management of accounting information to be achieved. That is,accounting information based on an image forming operation of apredetermined device is generated by the device management computer 103and is transmitted to the remote monitoring computer 120. Then, uponreceiving the accounting information, the remote monitoring computer 120is adapted to save the accounting information, in accordance with adevice identification information notification that has been separatelytransmitted in advance based on the device-identification-informationcomparison result obtained by the device management computer 103.

[0101] In step S906, on the other hand, a determination is made as towhether an instruction for finalizing a change of device identificationinformation is input. This instruction for finalization is input by, forexample, operation of a keyboard and mouse by the operator at the remotemonitoring computer 120. Such an operation is executed, for example,when service personnel visits a client to confirm the change of the IPaddress of a given device and the operator at the remote monitoringcomputer 120 is notified of the confirmed information. A telephone,electronic mail, or the like may be used as means for notifying theoperator of the confirmed information.

[0102] When it is determined “Yes” in step S906, the managementinformation (shown in FIG. 7), which is held in accordance with input ofthe instruction for finalizing device identification information in stepS906, is updated in step S908. The term “instruction for finalization”herein referrers to an instruction for inputting changed deviceidentification information (including, at least, an IP address and/or aMAC address) and/or unchanged device identification information.Naturally, such device identification information is associated with apredetermined device management computer or a predetermined device, andsuch associated information is also input together in step S906.

[0103] In step S909, in accordance with the process in step S908, thefinalized device identification information and the associatedinformation are issued to the device management computer 103 through thecommunications network 109. In accordance with an instruction forupdating the combination of the first device identification informationand the second device identification information from the remotemonitoring computer 120, the device management computer 103 updatescorresponding first device identification information and second deviceidentification information which are held in a holding section. In thiscase, communication information including the IP address of the devicemanagement computer 103 that manages the corresponding device (imageforming apparatus) whose device identification information is finalizedis also held. Based on the held communication information, the remotemonitoring computer 120 and the device management computer 103communicate with each other. The device management computer 103 that hasreceived the instruction issued in step S909 performs a process forupdating the corresponding device identification held by the holdingsection to designated information in accordance with a device IDincluded in the associated information. When the same deviceidentification information (an IP address and/or a MAC address) as theprevious information is designated, the device identificationinformation is not updated, and when designated device identificationinformation has been changed, a change process is performed.

[0104] Meanwhile, even when a change of device identificationinformation is finalized by the remote monitoring computer 120 to thesame information used before or different information, the device (imageforming apparatus) 102 or the device management computer 103 may, forexample, generate accounting information in accordance with wrong deviceidentification information and notify the remote monitoring computer 120of the generated accounting information. According to the presentinvention, execution of the process in step S909 by the remotemonitoring computer 120 can provide an advantage in that such incorrectprocessing can be efficiently prevented. In other words, the presentinvention can provide a particular advantage in that deviceidentification information updated by the remote monitoring computer 120can be promptly reflected in the device management computer 103.

[0105] In step S910, a determination is made as to whether anotification, indicating that the device management computer 103 hassuccessfully completed the update in response to the process of stepS909, is issued from the device management computer 103.

[0106] When it is determined “No” in step S910, the notification issuedfrom the device management computer 103 is waited for, and when it isdetermined “Yes”, the process proceeds to step S911.

[0107] In step S911, the solution flag set in step S904 is cleared. Theprocess for clearing the solution flag refers to, for example, a processfor changing the value of the flag from “0” to “1”.

[0108] In step S912, based on the finalization of change of the deviceidentification information, the accounting information saved in stepS907 is formally registered in accordance with the finalized deviceidentification information.

[0109] On the other hand, when it is determined “No” in step S906, theprocess proceeds to step S913, in which a determination is made as towhether a device-identification-information change notification isreceived.

[0110] This device identification-information change notificationcorresponds to a notification issued from communication control means inthe device management computer 103 when device identificationinformation is input via inputting means, which is used for inputting aninstruction for updating the IP address and/or the MAC address of thedevice management computer 103.

[0111] The inputting means at the device management computer 103 may beimplemented with, for example, the keyboard 206, which is instructioninputting means, shown in FIG. 2. Naturally, a dedicated input screen orinputting means may be provided to input a change of deviceidentification information. Device identification information may alsobe changed upon the occurrence of an abnormality in deviceidentification information in such a manner that the service personnelvisit a client and change the device identification information usingthe device management computer 103. This can reduce loads on, forexample, operator telephone assistance at the remote monitoring computer120 and inputting work for changing device identification information.This arrangement can further offer a particular advantage in that notonly can the remote monitoring computer 120 issue an instruction forchanging device identification information, so can the device managementcomputer 103, thereby achieving a flexible scheme for maintenance of animage forming apparatus.

[0112] Also, in some cases, even when discrepancy of an IP addressand/or a MAC address has been solved at the device management computer103, a need may arise for asking the user again from the remotemonitoring computer 120 or for dispatching service personnel. Thepresent invention can provide another particular advantage in that suchneed can be minimized.

[0113] Further, in step S914, the management information includingdevice identification information held by the remote monitoring computer120 is updated, and in step S915, the solution flag is cleared in thesame manner as in step S911. Thereafter, the above-described process instep S912 is executed and the process returns to step S901.

[0114]FIG. 10 shows one example of information input in step S901.

[0115] Columns 1001, 1002, and 1003 indicate corresponding items. A row1004 indicates a type of notification. In this case, adevice-identification-information change notification is illustrated,however, other types of notification, for example, anaccounting-information notification and a device-error (e.g., paper jam)notification, may also be input.

[0116] A row 1005 indicates the ID of a device monitoring computer thatmonitors a device in which an abnormality occurs.

[0117] A row 1006 indicates the ID of a device of interest, and rows1007 and 1008 indicate an IP address and a MAC address which areobtained by a user's device management computer, respectively, inassociation with the device ID in the row 1006. These IP address and MACaddress are accompanied by information as to whether or not a change hasbeen made to the originally designated IP address and/or MAC address.The use of the content of the notification shown in FIG. 10 allows theremote monitoring computer 120 to recognize whether or not a change hasbeen made to the IP address and/or the MAC address of the user device.

[0118]FIG. 11 shows content of electronic mail that is generated andtransmitted in the process of step S903 shown in FIG. 9.

[0119] In FIG. 11, the sender is a remote monitoring computer 120 andthe destination is service personnel. The address of the servicepersonnel can be directed to the electronic mail address of a specificservice person or a common address of the service personnel.

[0120] The message in the electronic mail shown in FIG. 11 includes textindicating whether an abnormality was found in the IP address or the MACaddress of device identification information of a device being managed.

[0121] Information that is detected includes a product name of a deviceof interest, an IP address, and a MAC address, as well as informationthat is displayed to allow for identification of changed deviceidentification information (the IP address in FIG. 11). In FIG. 11, achange of the IP address from “192.168.0.12” to “192.168.0.67” is shown.

[0122] The remote monitoring computer 120 automatically orsemi-automatically creates electronic mail as described above uponacknowledging the abnormality notification in step S901 shown in FIG. 9,and can transmit the electronic mail to service personnel, therebyefficiently prompting the service personnel to process the step S913.For example, when service personnel is visiting a client for anotherpurpose, the service personnel can receive electronic mail as shown inFIG. 11 with a predetermined equipment and can efficiently input adevice-identification-information change, which corresponds to thenotification in step S913, to the device management computer 103.

[0123]FIGS. 12A and 12B show an exemplary format of accountinginformation for a given device that is managed by the remote monitoringcomputer 120.

[0124]FIG. 12A shows an exemplary format of accounting informationbefore being changed, for example, of accounting information before theprocess in step S912 shown in FIG. 9 is performed. FIG. 12B shows anexemplary format of accounting information after being changed, forexample, of accounting information after the accounting-informationregistration process in step S912 shown in FIG. 9 is performed.

[0125] In FIGS. 12A and 12B, reference numerals 1204 and 1205, 1208 and1209, 1213 and 1214, 1216 and 1217, and 1221 and 1222 indicateattributes of counter information 1206, 1210, 1215, 1218, and 1223,respectively.

[0126]FIG. 12B shows a case in which a change for a device having adevice ID A, which was originally managed by being associated with theIP address A 1213, has been finalized such that it is to be managed bybeing associated with the IP address C 1216.

[0127] For example, in FIG. 11, the IP address is changed from“192.168.0.12” to “192.168.0.67” relative to that shown in FIG. 7. Insuch a case, when an instruction for changing the IP address is issuedin step S906 shown in FIG. 9, the accounting information to be managedbecomes information shown in FIG. 12B.

[0128] Also seen from FIG. 12B is that the counter information 1215 forthe device ID A that is originally managed under the deviceidentification information 1213 and 1214 is updated to be managed underthe device identification 1216 and 1217.

[0129] After being updated, device-ID A's accounting information that istransmitted from the device management computer 103 is managed by beingassociated with the device identification information 1216 and 1217.

[0130] While the above description is given to a case in which an IPaddress is changed by way of example, the same processing is alsoapplicable to a case in which a MAC address is changed. In such a case,needless to say, the flow shown in FIG. 9 can also be executed as in thecase of the IP address.

[0131] In addition, when a new device is confirmed in accordance withthe flow chart of FIG. 9 as a device to be managed, a process isexecuted for registering new accounting information, as shown in FIG.12, including the device ID of the new device, service-personnelinformation, and attributes (an IP address and a MAC address) forcounter information, in a database.

[0132] As described above, even when a change is made to deviceidentification information (an IP address and/or a MAC address) of apredetermined device for some reason, execution of the flow in FIG. 9allows for accurate recognition of the fact of change and allows forimproved failsafe management of accounting information, thereby makingit possible to provide a user with a reliable maintenance system for animage forming apparatus.

[0133] According to another embodiment of the present invention, in theabove-described process in step S907 shown in FIG. 9, accountinginformation that is received from the device management computer 103 issaved by an external apparatus to prevent a problem associated withaccounting.

[0134] Second Embodiment

[0135] In a second embodiment, ensure management of accountinginformation will be described in conjunction with an alternative to thefirst embodiment. Since the configurations discussed with reference toFIGS. 1 to 4 and processes based on the flow charts and methods forholding various types of information which are discussed with referenceto FIGS. 6 to 12 are essentially the same, detailed descriptions thereofwill be omitted. In this case, differences from the first embodimentwill be particularly described in detail.

[0136] In the second embodiment, accounting management is ensured suchthat accounting information is created by the device management computer103 based on an image forming operation of a predetermined device andissuance of a notification of the generated accounting information tothe remote monitoring computer 120 is restricted.

[0137] For example, the device management computer 103 is configured torecognize a solution flag as illustrated in FIG. 9. In this case, when asolution flag is set (i.e., a problem is not solved), accountinginformation based on information obtained from a plurality of devices(image forming apparatuses) is restricted from being issued to theremote monitoring computer 120. This can also provide at least the sameadvantages as the processing in FIG. 9.

[0138] In addition, when the issuance of a notification of accountinginformation to the remote monitoring computer 120 is restricted,information indicating that the issuance of accounting information isbeing restricted may be transmitted instead of accounting information.This allows for, on the remote monitoring computer side, prompt dispatchof service personnel and prompt telephone/electronic-mail inquiry to theuser, and the like, and also can prevent confusion at the remotemonitoring computer 120.

[0139] In this case, as a method for generating a solution flag at thedevice management computer, a solution flag may be set by the devicemanagement computer 103 when detection (which corresponds to step S901)of abnormal device identification information is performed by the devicemanagement computer 103. Alternatively, the states of the solution flagsin steps S904, S911, and S915 may be reflected in the device managementcomputer 103 through the communications line 109.

[0140] Then, in accordance with such a solution flag, a determination ismade as to whether a problem regarding a combination of the first deviceidentification information and the second device identificationinformation is solved. When it is determined as being solved, accountinginformation that has been restricted may be transmitted to the remotemonitoring computer 120. In such a case, updated device identificationinformation is transmitted to the remote monitoring computer 120 priorto the transmission of accounting information, in the same mannerdescribed in connection with step S913. Thus, the remote monitoringcomputer 120 can perform accurate accounting management.

[0141] Provision of the configuration described above for the devicemanagement computer 103 can eliminate the need for the process in stepS907 shown in FIG. 9, thereby offering an advantage in that theprocessing at the remote monitoring computer 120 can be simplified.

[0142] Other Embodiments

[0143] The above-described object of the present invention can also beachieved by a recording medium in which software program code thatrealizing the features of the illustrated embodiments. That is, theobject of the present invention can be achieved such that a recordingmedium in which such program code is recorded is supplied to a system orapparatus and a computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or the apparatusreads and executes the program code.

[0144] In such a case, the program code read from the recording mediumachieves the novel features of the present invention and the recordingmedium in which the program code is recorded is also encompassed by thepresent invention.

[0145] Examples of available recording media for supplying the programcode include a floppy® disk, hard disk, optical disk, magnetic opticaldisk, CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD-ROM, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, andROM.

[0146] Further, not only is the program code that is read from thecomputer executed to achieve the features of the illustratedembodiments, but also an OS (operating system) or the like that isrunning on the computer may perform part or all of the actual processingin accordance with an instruction of the program code to achieve thefeatures of the illustrated embodiments. Naturally, such an arrangementis also covered by the present invention.

[0147] Additionally, after the program code read from the recordingmedium is stored in a memory that is provided in a plug-in boardinserted to the computer or an expansion unit connected to the computer,a CPU or the like that is provided in the plug-in board or the expansionunit may perform part or all of the actual processing in accordance withan instruction of the program code to achieve the features of theillustrated embodiments. Such an arrangement is also encompassed by thepresent invention.

[0148] When the present invention is applied to the recording mediumdescribed above, program codes for realizing the above-described flows,displaying each screen, and processing various databases are stored inthe recording medium.

[0149] As described above, the present invention allows for appropriateand prompt dispatch of service personnel and accurate change of varioussettings when the remote monitoring computer receives a device settingchange.

[0150] While the present invention has been described with reference towhat are presently considered to be the preferred embodiments, it is tobe understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosedembodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims. The scope of the following claims is to beaccorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all suchmodifications and equivalent structures and functions.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing apparatus that managesa predetermined device capable of performing communication over anetwork, comprising: comparing means for comparing a combination offirst device identification information and second device identificationinformation which are obtained from the predetermined device withanother combination; and communication controlling means for controllingissuance of a notification to an external apparatus in accordance with aresult of the comparison by the comparing means, the external apparatusbeing capable of receiving the notification through a predeterminedcommunications line and managing a plurality of information processingapparatuses.
 2. An information processing apparatus according to claim1, wherein the comparing means determines whether or not at least one ofthe first device identification information and the second deviceidentification information is being managed, and the notification issuedby the communication controlling means includes information indicatingthat either the first device identification information or the seconddevice identification information is not being managed.
 3. Aninformation processing apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising receiving means for receiving information corresponding tothe first device identification information and the second deviceidentification information from the external apparatus through thecommunications line; and holding means for holding the correspondinginformation received by the receiving means, wherein the comparing meanscompares the corresponding information held by the holding means withthe combination of the first device identification information and thesecond device identification information which are obtained from thepredetermined device.
 4. An information processing apparatus accordingto claim 1, further comprising updating means for updating first deviceidentification information and second device identification informationwhich are held by a holding section in accordance with a notification,for updating the combination of the first device identificationinformation and the second device identification, from the externalapparatus.
 5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising inputting means for inputting an instruction forupdating the first device identification information and/or the seconddevice identification information, wherein the communication controllingmeans issues a notification for update, based on the update instructioninput by the inputting means, to the external apparatus.
 6. Aninformation processing apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising obtaining means for obtaining accounting information based onan image forming operation of a predetermined device from thepredetermined device, wherein the communication controlling means issuesthe accounting information obtained by the obtaining means to theexternal apparatus and the external apparatus receives the accountinginformation and saves the accounting information in accordance with anotification that is issued by the communication controlling means basedon a result of the comparison.
 7. An information processing apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising accounting-informationgenerating means for generating accounting information based on an imageforming operation of a predetermined device; and restricting means forrestricting issuance of a notification of the accounting informationgenerated by the accounting-information generating means to the externalapparatus.
 8. An information processing apparatuses according to claim7, further comprising determining means for determining whether or not aproblem of a combination of first device identification information andsecond device identification information is solved; and removing meansfor removing the restriction by the restricting means, based on thedetermination by the determining means.
 9. An information processingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first device identificationinformation is an internet protocol address.
 10. An informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second deviceidentification information includes at least MAC address information.11. An information processing method for an information processingapparatus that manages a predetermined device capable of performingcommunication over a network, the method comprising: a comparing step ofcomparing a combination of first device identification information andsecond device identification information which are obtained from thepredetermined device with another combination; and a communicationcontrolling step of controlling issuance of a notification to anexternal apparatus in accordance with a result of the comparison in thecomparing step, the external apparatus being capable of receiving thenotification through a predetermined communications line and managing aplurality of information processing apparatuses.
 12. An informationprocessing method according to claim 11, wherein the comparing stepdetermines whether or not at least one of the first deviceidentification information and the second device identificationinformation is being managed, and the notification issued in thecommunication controlling step includes information indicating thateither the first device identification information or the second deviceidentification information is not being managed.
 13. An informationprocessing method according to claim 11, further comprising a receivingstep of receiving information corresponding to the first deviceidentification information and the second device identificationinformation from the external apparatus through the communications line;and a holding step of holding the corresponding information received inthe receiving step, wherein the comparing step compares thecorresponding information held in the holding step with the combinationof the first device identification information and the second deviceidentification information which are obtained from the predetermineddevice.
 14. An information processing method according to claim 11,further comprising a step of updating first device identificationinformation and second device identification information which are heldby a holding section in accordance with a notification, for updating thecombination of the first device identification information and thesecond device identification, from the external apparatus.
 15. Aninformation processing method according to claim 11, further comprisingan inputting step of inputting an instruction for updating the firstdevice identification information and/or the second deviceidentification information via an input section, wherein thecommunication controlling step issues a notification for update, basedon the update instruction input in the inputting step, to the externalapparatus.
 16. An information processing method according to claim 11,further comprising an obtaining step of obtaining accounting informationbased on an image forming operation of a predetermined device from thepredetermined device, wherein the communication controlling step issuesthe accounting information obtained in the obtaining step to theexternal apparatus and the external apparatus receives the accountinginformation and saves the accounting information in accordance with anotification that is issued in the communication controlling step basedon a result of the comparison.
 17. An information processing methodaccording to claim 11, further comprising an accounting-informationgenerating step of generating accounting information based on an imageforming operation of a predetermined device; and a restricting step ofrestricting issuance of a notification of the accounting informationgenerated in the accounting-information generating step to the externalapparatus.
 18. An information processing method according to claim 17,further comprising a determining step of determining whether or not aproblem of a combination of first device identification information andsecond device identification information is solved; and a removing stepof removing the restriction in the restricting step based on thedetermination in the determining step.
 19. An information processingmethod according to claim 11, wherein the first device identificationinformation is an internet protocol address.
 20. An informationprocessing method according to claim 19, wherein the second deviceidentification information includes at least MAC address information.21. A program that is executed by a computer that manages apredetermined device capable of performing communication over a network,the program comprising: a comparing step of comparing a combination offirst device identification information and second device identificationinformation which are obtained from the predetermined device withanother combination; and a communication controlling step of controllingissuance of a notification to an external apparatus in accordance with aresult of the comparison in the comparing step, the external apparatusbeing capable of receiving the notification through a predeterminedcommunications line and managing a plurality of information processingapparatuses.
 22. A recording medium that is readable by a computerstoring a program that is executed by an information processingapparatus that manages a predetermined device capable of performingcommunication over a network, the program comprising: a comparing stepof comparing a combination of first device identification informationand second device identification information which are obtained from thepredetermined device with another combination thereof; and acommunication controlling step of controlling issuance of a notificationto an external apparatus in accordance with a result of the comparisonin the comparing step, the external apparatus being capable of receivingthe notification through a predetermined communications line andmanaging a plurality of information processing apparatuses.